MIAMI — Just so we’re clear, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James never mocked Dirk Nowitzki specifically. And even if they did, they were only toying around like that to mess with the media and not the Mavericks’ star.

At least that’s the Wade James version of what transpired before Game 5 of The Finals in Dallas, where James and Wade played to the cameras as they walked out of American Airlines Center.

Saturday afternoon here at American Airlines Arena, we got the latest twist in “Cough-gate.” And while Wade, James and every one of Nowitzki’s teammates that was asked about the footage tried to downplay its significance, Nowitzki was surprisingly pointed in his response to being spoofed by the competition.

“I just thought it was a little childish, a little ignorant,” Nowitzki said. “I’ve been in this league for 13 years. I’ve never faked an injury or an illness before. But it happened. It’s over to me. It’s not going to add anything extra to me. This is the NBA Finals. If you need an extra motivation, you have a problem. So we’re one win away from my dream, what I’ve worked on for half of my life. This is really all I’m worried about. This is all I’m focusing on. And not really offthecourt stuff that happened. ”

The video footage of Wade and James poking fun added an extra layer of telenovela-style drama to a fascinating series that didn’t really need any extra spice. The games have been well-played, tightly contested and full of breathtaking plays from both sides.

Really, the only thing that seemed to be missing was some genuine disdain for each other by the two sides, the rematch of the 2006 Finals storyline didn’t carry much weight since so few of the principles this time around weren’t involved then. And no offense to DeShawn Stevenson, but his longstanding feud with James hasn’t gained much traction either.

All that changed when Wade and James walked down that hallway and started in on their comedy routine that Wade insists wasn’t directed at Nowitzki.

“First of all, it wasn’t fake coughing. I actually did cough,” he said. “And with the cameras being right there, we made a joke out of it because we knew you guys were going to blow it up. You did exactly what we knew. We never said Dirk’s name. I think he’s not the only one in the world who can get sick or have a cough. We just had fun with the cameras being right there in our face about the blowup of the incident, and it held to be true. You blew it up.”

We’ll accept our part in this mess if either Wade or James would simply fess up to their part.

The rest of the Mavericks wisely chose to sidestep the issue, choosing to focus on the immense challenge and opportunity that awaits in Sunday’s Game 6 as opposed to playing the game for the cameras.

For example, this was the brief exchange Shawn Marion had about it:

Did you watch that video?

Naw, we didn’t watch no video of it. I seen it on CNN this morning. It’s nothing.

Any thoughts?

Not at all.

Think Dirk cares about that stuff?

You’d have to ask him. At the end of the day, it’s nothing. We know what the bigger picture is here, and that’s all that matters.

“I don’t have a facebook page,” he said. “I’m not on Twitter. I don’t even go on the Internet.”

We couldn’t even get Jason Terry, the Mavericks’ eternally chatty veteran guard, to bite.

“First of all, I didn’t see the video and really don’t care,” he said. “If you need anything other than that trophy to motivate you at this point, you’re probably setting yourself up for failure.”

The painful memories of the Heat celebrating on the Mavericks’ home floor i 2006 certainly help keep the mind focused, especially for Terry, who is the only other player on the Dallas roster other than Nowitzki who was in uniform then.

“I remember getting hit in the head with confetti,” Terry said. “Just watching them celebrate, ride off on golf carts, champagne bottles and all that. I remember being back in our locker room, myself and Darrell Armstrong holding each other and just crying the night away. Something I’ll never forget.”

Erasing those memories is more than enough motivation for Nowitzki, that is if he needed anything more than being four pressure-packed quarters away from that dream he’s worked half his life for. And as for his critics in Heat clothing, specifically James, there is little empathy and absolutely no sympathy.

“Well, I just think sometimes when you don’t win, criticism comes with it,” Nowitzki said. “That’s just a part of the game if you’re the star or the face of the franchise. If you win, it’s great for you, and everybody looks at you. And if you lose, you’re going to get hammered. It’s just the part of the business. I think we understand that. We’ve been around long enough. I got hammered the last 13 years, basically. So hopefully this year I can make the hammering go away for one year.”

250 Comments

im not a dallas mavericks fan, but surely they made a good joob on NBA finals to beat Lebron and company. Big 3 of miami heat are not big 3 in the finals. Dirk and company deserved to have a ring than Lebron who seek a ring but failed. Team work is important than individual stats, maybe the heat will realized this for next season of the NBA and one more thing on lebron ” Improved your shooting liked kobe and MJ”

Why such a big deal? It’s just a joke. This society and evolved into one you have to tread the waters softly because if you do anything or say anything the HATERS are ready to jump on you and tell you why you’re wrong; when they have no dam right to judge anybody, because most of them are just jealous of the lifestyle and easy going attitude these guys have. They can judge from their couch, while we live it up on our boats, giving no thoughts to these rats of the politically correct agenda.

It is really not funny to see that creature ZedFed making a mockery of the entire struggle for racial equality all over the world!.. Oops, did I use the word “creature”… Oh, no… Please believe me, I am not racist…

all I’m saying is this….who else could they be talking about? And why are roasting a guy off the court who is steady roasting you on the court on the way to his first title? As much as I like them 2, they dropped the ball on this one. Judging by his response Dirk wasn’t laughing at their antics either. But they will take their fall tonight and have all summer to think about why they didn’t win, why LBJ can’t do squat in fourth qtrs and Pat Riley will leave the tanning booth and Spo will suddenly have an urge to ‘spend more time with family’. These dudes are see thru like saline solution

Y’know they make a perfectly valid point: they never directly said his name. Media is entirely to blame for misinterpreting it. Like the other night I was at a restaurant and this guy swallowed a chicken bone and I thought he was making fun of LeBron, but no he really was choking. He knew I was going to blow it out of proportion though, that’s why he did it.

Lebron and Wade are dumb little ignorant self-centered and arrogant kids, who you would think no better, these was the same little kids that were crying when they was losing games, now they got the perfect oppurtunity to show everyone that was doubting them, that they can be possible champions and they go and pull this dumb little act, I’m not surprised at Lebron and seems that wade is just being a follower, hopefully the Mavs will win it all and Dirk can wear a T-Shirt that says( I’m not a quitter and don’t have to team up with other stars to win a championship) then say, he just did it for the media…..grow up Lebron and Wade, start acting like what your’ll are getting paid for and remember where your’ll really came from and once what your’ll never was

It’s not so much that the fans hate the Heat, it’s like it’s SUPPOSED to be a championship year for them, like 15 other teams in the playoffs didn’t feel the same way. What annoys me about this is that they (D. Wade & LBJ) do take/make things out of context and are really immature for professionals. The Heat got a BIG slap in the face after thinking that they had the Mavs where they wanted them and got slapped for acting too grown! The same swagger Boston had thinking “we’re gonna take it all” made them wait a year and so will the Heat! Need some tissue? LOL

Play the game on the court. That’s where the real conversation takes place.

I’M FROM CLEVELAND, OHIO AND I LOVE OUR CITY A LOT! I’VE BEEN WATCHING LEBRON EVER SINCE HE STARTED IN CLEVELAND AND WHAT I CAN SAY IS HE WILL BOUNCE BACK THIS GAME 6 AND WIN A TITLE IN GAME 7. DIRK AND MAVS’S DREAM WILL BE OVER. I WANT TO HATE LEBRON FOR LEAVING US HERE IN CLEVELAND, BUT, I THINK IT’S FOR THE BEST. HE STAYED HERE FOR YEARS AND CAN’T WIN US A TITLE. HE DESERVED WHEREVER HE IS NOW. WE WILL JUST WAIT HERE IN CLEVELAND FOR A NEW STAR THAT CAN BRING US A CHAMPIONSHIP. ABOUT THE WADE’S COUGHING, THAT IS THEIR WAY IS DESTROYING MAVS’S FOCUS. THAT IS ONLY PART OF THEIR STRATEGY. DON’T GET FOOLED, BE MATURED. BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT I DO WHEN I WANT TO DISTRACT MY OPPONENT IN A BASKETBALL GAME. I’M ACTUALLY A GAY, BUT PRETENDS TO BE A GUY WHEN PLAYING BASKETBALL.

The real reason behind the hate, now any Black person hating on Lebron needs to have his membership revoked. Lebron is MAC-ing like Jayzee; no one wants to lose their paycheck. According to J-Lo “its a new generation.”

I actually thought D-Wade was smarter than that… what he has done was let Lebron ruin his reputation. For years D-wade was a likeable guy… now all i see is a Lebron follower pretty much. For the miami heat what does winning a championship mean when the whole world hates you? You would have the ring… the trophy.. but when it’s all said and done who will respect you for it? After Dallas ran right over the lakers i said nobody beats dallas…and i’m still sayin that.

I’d just like to say that this ZedFed character is a complete and total moron. Nothing Dirk said can even remotely be construed as racist. Honestly why bring that up? Do you not get enough attention in real life? Grow up and get a life.

On the topic at hand, I’ll give Wade and James the benefit of the doubt since despite their poor judgment I believe they are good human beings. I doubt they really meant anything hurtful by this. Wade and Lebron have done nothing off the court that I’ve heard of for me to call them bad people. They will learn that during times like these it’s best to not talk to the cameras. I still hope the Mavs win it though. GO DALLAS!

The only thing I want to say is Champions have their eyes on the prize and nothing else – The Mavs certainly have this – hear the tone of Dirk’s, Jet’s, The matrix, JKidd’s and the rest of the teams voice. They fight to the death similar to how the 08 Boston team were on the road to glory. I was never a Maverick fan as I thought their style of play is boring, lack lustre like the Spurs – but their run this year esp. the Playoffs has completely inspired me. I was never a Dirk fan until now. This is their time. Their hunger and fight is awe inspiring. This is what the playoffs and the finals is all about seeing the best being at their best and teams coming together and performing at their peak. I am also amazed that Miami made it this far – the talent of the Big 3 and some coaching genius must be credited as they are supposedly on a ‘different timetable’ than everyone else which seems to imply they are aiming for the title but may or may not do it this year. So, if they dont do it this year it is ok. This may be the difference between the two. The mavs time is now. The Mavs believe it and they are playing like it. The heat are lucky to be here and would not be that disappointed if they dont do it this year as this so-called ‘timetable’ is different to everybody else’s but they are to win ‘not 4,5,6 or 7 titles – its a bold statement – only it may not be as soon as everybody else’s expectation. Bottom Line is we have a Game 6. The team that wants it now will win. Mavs to take the title tonight!!!!!GO MAVS!!!! THE DIRK!!! JKIDD AND THE JET!!!!

As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think they were talking about Dirk. If you watch the video closely, you’ll realize that Wade really coughed at the beginning then like a second later Lebron joked with him. It wasn’t a shot a Dirk, they were just joking around with each other.

The Mav players were all over Twitter mocking the heat players. Wow! You all really do hate the heat. That’s sad!! I am not even a big Heat fan but I hope they come through just because of all the hate!

They both are focused on the game tonight and thats a good thing… hope to see a great game
and hopefully another heat win, cause i want another game. a game 7 is always special. hope
Lebron can bring it up tonight and is focused on winning and finally gets some buckets in the
4th quarter… but if Dallas wins they deserve it… i stil know when i was 14 years old and bought a maverick cap, they had a serious losing season. my mother said they will win it once in about 10 years, were now 16 years further but they have a big chance winning it all. go mavs and go heat. make it a great game. greetings from the Netherlands

It all comes down to the Heat not havinbg a player with the toughness and strength of Chandler down low. He is the key Dallas will walkaway with this series. Wade and James are too selfish to do the blue collar work on a consistent basis. And they think they are so good but it takes 5 not 2 and Dallas has about 4 combinations of very effective lineups. Go Mavs!

The biggest disappointment in this for me is the backpedaling. Wade and Bron should own up to it and say “Yes. We were mocking him. Yes, we are trying to get in his head and throw him off his game. Yes, we think the media blew his illness out of proportion. Yes, we are going to win games 6 and 7.” Trash talking when you’re down 3-2 is kind of foolish, but at least own up to it.

This playing the victim nonsense is getting old. Nobody made you the “bad guys”. That was the role you said you wanted. Now you get to live with it.

It’s just clearly shows how the Haters are reacting and rejoicing! Let’s not be hypocrite here. All you guys riding in the Mavs wagon didn’t want to see them in the finals right now. It’s just your losing teams are not there anymore, all of them has gone fishing (Lakers, Celtics, Bulls and Magic)… you guys didn’t have any other choice and the only team in front of Miami is Dallas… hahaha… sorry guys! Its gonna happen! Miami’s big 3 will win em all! Maybe this year! Next year or the next next year! But one thing’s for sure they be crown soon! Hehehe…

Does Dwayne Wade REALLY think that everyone in the world is THAT stupid?!?!?! “We did it ’cause we knew you’d blow it out of proportion?”!!! Oh come on man!! Who nominated you the media’s critic. Plus, dude! Give me 5 minutes to think about it and I’d find you 5 better ways to spin this. I would respect you more if you just said: “We were having some fun between us, we meant no disrespect”.

A wise man once said: “You can fool all of us some of the time and some of us all the time, but you can’t fool all of us all the time”.

To me it looked like two childish superstars, who are used to everyone hailing them all the time and telling them just how great, special and super they are that are suddenly being questioned while someone else is being called the special and super one, thus trying to put on an “I don’t care face” to the world.

It’s like getting hit by someone and shouting to him “it doesn’t hurt and you’re ugly” to hide your tears.

I think that REAL great people (not just athletes) are properly judged on how they handle the hits and downs more than how they handle success. Success is easy! And for the first time in his career James’ on-court ability is questioned (his character has been rightfully questioned all season, mainly on HOW he let the world know of his decision). Up to now the was no doubt as to James’ on-court ability and character and suddenly people are saying “look a sick Nowitzki is beating a healthy Wade and a non-existent James in 4th quarters”. So what do the two babies do? They belittle the achievement and joke about it. How DARE the world talk so much about Nowitzki while WE’RE here?!?! Are they crazy?

Very very small people. I hope Nowitzki get the last laugh to wear proudly on his ring finger.

p.s. Really LeBron? YOU can afford to me “choke” jokes??? REALLY? DUDE! I’ve seen the word LeChoke so many times in so many places these last days that I think that LeBron should try his best to stay away from any kind of cough/choke/wheeze/sneeze connotations.

dude,r u mad?..easy there.of corz d whole world world knew wat it meant evn a 9 yr old cn figure it out by himself.bt heres d line,im a bbal fan too nd i dnt really mind at all..yea it ws childlish,nd so?wud it kill any1?nd truth will always b this theres a lot more REAL MOCKING OFF THE CAM even on all teams..nd seriously any open minded prson wudnt mind it at all..

Oh, something I’ve been wanting to bring up in a forum… Is it just me or is the Heat coaching awful? Even for the Heat haters out there, doesn’t much of their struggling have to do with the coaching? Boston won a title the 1st year they brought their big 3 together. The Heat just look so unmanaged to me.

I thought it was obvious they were not mocking Dirk, but rather the media. Whether is a minor injury like a sprained finger or so much as a sniffle, the media has to make this big potential drama out of it. I think the media has made a bigger deal out of Dirk’s sinus infection than Rhondo’s arm hyper-extension. I mean that was a serious injury, I already respected Rhondo, but respect him even more now. Anyway, the joke in the end, is on the media, not on Dirk. As fans, we need to try and not get into some of the hype.. wait to hear the both sides of a story.

@MIGUEL..well said bro.im no hater bt im absolutely a bball fan..bt i cudnt AGREE MORE of what u said..AGREE nd AGREE more..media will either give a big fuss out of it or jst ignore it..bt snce theyr from a so called ‘dream team’ oh for the love of bbal sake hw wud any other team cud nt dream of that??d other flick was THEY dcided to team up n the miami team..so evrybody elses team give a fuss out of it,bt i wont b stupid to admit i wudnt want even 2 of those great players to be on my team as well..ive seen how both teams playd like d rest of d world,awaiting hw ds epic will turns out..bt in the end of d day credit will be given to where credit is truly due..bt for the love of bball im hope for Game 7 nd best team will close it out.So Stop the Hatin to all who have hates for a moment..Lets just Njoy the Game nd im hoping this One will be one of those epic mos too nd ill b proud to witness as such.whatever ways it will be.

THE MEDIA IS VERY POWERFUL AND VERY PROVOCATIVE.
They’re like Lawyers, Doctors, and Senator in one.
They can make your true false.
They can make your false true.
IN A VERY, VERY, VERY (10x) Convincing manner.

They can also make an intelligent, business savvy, Black young man look like the devil incarnate. This one’s never gonna be caught in his car with a Ho, nor have Vegas henchmen beating down his door, and he is aiming to bring his peers along for the ride. Stay Up Bron-Bron.

i think for a good joke you need intelligence and where is the point in wade’s and james’ “joking”? their joking level shows their intelligence level..like dirk said: a little childish. and that’s what will dallas help to win in 6, miami will loose because they will not realise what’s the point is!!

According to ESPN Dirk shot a total of 85 FTs in the 4QTR of this series; its the first time since D. Wade in ’06. I don’t know about anyone else but that says to me that the referee is playing favorites; Wade in ’06 and Dirk in 2011.

Wade and Lebron were merely drawing attention to a disingenuous Media; Manu Ginobilli played his first series against the Grizzlies with a broken arm, Tony Allen accused him of faking, where was the Media’s outrage then?

Manu would never sit at the podium wallowing in the Media’s exaggeration of a few minor nicks and bruises or for that matter a cold. No one knew the extent of Manu’s injury until he returned home to Argentina.

whats wrong with them having fun , why does the media make such a big deal about petty stuff it’s not like they were getting drunk in bars fighting their wifes, seems like these have to be serious all the time it’s not like they are fighting the cold war,do you all know what these Dallas players are doing that no one is seeing,

When I see something spectacular or my team is doing good…..I’m a cheer
When my team is down and I want them to dig themselves out of a whole….I’m a cheer
When a player gets a steal….I’m a cheer
When a player blocks someone from the opposing team…I’m a cheer

Now what does this mean to the people questioning me and all of the true heat fans (as in I been a heat fan since I was a kid shaking Glen Rice and Zo’s hand and getting a high 5 from Jamaal Mashburn, nothing. Not all fans go to games or even have the luxury of attending games ( and before someone questions my economic status and say something idiotic, like I’m probably to cheap to go to games, that is not the case, I simply don’t live in my hometown anymore. So don’t judge a fan or a city as a whole because of what you see on the TV. Top 5 picks…..

Who ever the idiot that thinks that what Dirk said was racist………You are clearly a moron.
The word Ni..er is actually another word for ignorant,at least that is how it was when the word first originated back in the day it caught on and people refered to blacks as ni..er. But it transformed into something else along the way, not the other way around. Yes to the actual ignorant public that do not know the definition, this is correct. PS I’m one.

Lets just let the play do the talking. This is not over. The heat can still win. Mavs do deserve it more, because I think Dirk is a great player and Kid has been one of my all time faves….but the Heat is my team. Be honest with yourselves Mavs fans it aint over. You guys should know, because I have two digits for you.

0 6……No it isn’t how many times wade or Lebron will light you up
No it isn’t the weight of my shoe
No it isn’t how many people the Mavs will have to have on the court to contend with the Heat in Game 6

Are people really in an uproar about Lebron and Wade’s video? If you’re really bothered by that, then you need to stop watching professional sports. It’s brutal, ugly, and full of trash talk wether it’s on the court or not… I honestly think if the roles were reversed, and it were Dirk (not that I see him actually doing it) poking fun of Lebron and his sickness no one would give two Fu*ks about it. With that said. Mavs in 7

I don’t care if they were making fun of Dirk because he still is an outstanding player who just let his game speak for itself. It backfiredon them, Dont act like you guys never made fun of someone in your lifetime or called bologna on someone faking sick at work. Even if you may have been wrong. Get over yourselves

Who cares if they were playing or not, they have been scrutinized the whole year….I understand they went about it the wrong way, but don’t act like you don’t try to get an edge over an opponent anyway you can. Boxers do it, wrestlers do it, every sports team does it. I talk trash just playing x box Don’t act like Stevensons or Terry haven’t been running there mouth…Oh I get it everybody has faith in Dirk….he is the golden child…..the boy scout. You Mav fans or fans that just don’t want to see the Heat win make me laugh. No team has done it by themselves or will ever do it by themselves theres 5 people that play and not three. Everybody brings something to the court so in my eye they didn’t buy a team.

if you want respect, you have to show some, like in every other other aspects of life … they don’t respect any one in this league and yet all they want from everyone is to respect them… do they really deserve that?.. now we all have an answer to that question.. “No”
and about wade doing this. we all would have expected this from lebron but, seeng something like this from wade is what makes it sad for me. And it makes me question evryhing that I saw from him before, a humble, mature and clever guy who deserves all the respect. was it all an act , wade? is this the real one, that you have been hiding from all of us…a sore looser

What is all this crap over a cough or two. Basketball is full of trash talk all the time!!!
It’s the NBA finals, not under 12″s at the local gym. If your the HEAT you do anything to put off Dirk. He’s on fire.
Will it work or backfire, who knows. Was it disrespectful, No not when you can still win. It would be if you had already lost.
It simply a bit of gamesmanship. The only thing you can read into it is that Dirk’s so great as player and feared by the other side.
Bring on game 6 great series.

“The Mavs and Heat are statistically close in most categories save steals, and points in the paint.”

“The Mavs, on the other hand, are at least 5 percentage points better in the categories of, Free-Throw percentage and 3 point percentage.”

Last I checked points in the paint meant your team was the more aggressive; and its the aggressive team that usually leads in FTs, but somehow this isn’t happening in this series. The 3pt% only got better in game 5 when the Heat somehow forgot to play defense maybe because of Wade’s injury but it really doesn’t matter now, the Heat should have already won the series by game 4.

What is blatantly obvious is that Dirk has shot a total of 85 Fts in the fourth quarters of this series, and according to ESPN the last time this happened was in 2006, when D. Wade and Miami beat the Mavs. So its clear that the refs are determining the outcome of games.

Two expansion teams meet in the finals the one with seniority Arison wins first, but this time Cuban has paid his dues so he gets to wear the crown. This has nothing to do with the players, or the fans, its a win, win situation for the NBA and its owners.

While the game has been decided in less than three points in all five games, just go look!! How many free throw Dirk Nowitzki has got vs. James and Wade? Is’ not that obvious us we are all (including NBA) cheering for our beloved golden boy and driven by hate for the dark guys? But, one thing is for sure they know how to play and don’t be surprised tomorrow because it is not over yet

Come on Pip!! Lebron can’t be mentioned with MJ, Kobe, Magic or even yourself until he learns how to play out of the post. With the talent he has, he should live in there, or does he need some KARATE LESSONS to toughin’ up. I think he’s scared of the beatin’ he’s a** well get.

I love how they actually think they got the best fans in the world in Miami. They are probably the worst in the NBA. They only cheer for dunks and when they cheer its only for a minute then they go dead quite after that.

Why would wade and lebron make an issue of dirk being sick?? hell he still played the game so why do they care if he was sick or not??? i dont get it and as far as it being funny it didn’t make me laugh….

I usually like to write well thought out responses with solid arguments and looking at both sides so that maybe I can convince someone to my cause, but there have been so many people who have already typed really well thought out comments to no prevail, that doing so myself would be pointless. So here it goes, my anger of reading the ignorance has drove me to this.

If you really believe they weren;t making fun of Dirk, please go die. If you are somehow justifying them doing this, please oh please, kill yourself. If you think the series is over, I disagree. And most especially, if you are zedfed, you are a moron and a waste of society, and if you truly are african-american, you alone are the cause of racism. How can you dig racism out of nothing? Because you are truly ignorant and stupid. I won’t be reading these comments again, because unlike you, I have a life. Please don’t bother responding, because you are bringing the intelligence level of all involved down.

Dirk is a punk. Only a punk would wallow in the exaggeration of minor injuries and a cold while collecting millions of dollars to play a game called Basketball. GinoBilliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

There’s a difference between comedy and ignorance. Shaq and Dwight Howard are prime examples of what comedy is because their jokes and actions aren’t targeted at their opponent’s illness during an intense game during the series. Any mature person would easily realize that, then again, seeing as how you’re probably a hardcore bandwagon Heat’s fan, I’ll say this. It’s pretty funny that Wade would actually make fun of Dirk’s flu when he himself got a “hip injury” during a very.. very dramatic flop.

1. It’s not like he ran into Shaq, Dwight Howard, or any other fierce big man. IT’S BRIAN CARDINAL for goodness sakes.
2. Really? Throwing your arms up into the air like you just got mugged, I don’t even think that people on roller coaster rides flail their arms that much. Wait a minute, I thought Brian Cardinal went for the charge, or did his imaginary 3rd arm went to strip you of the ball too?
3. Again, IT’S BRIAN CARDINAL… Mario Chalmers ran into him later in the game and he didn’t even fall. Why? Because it’s BRIAN CARDINAL.

I don’t really see what the problem is here.
I mean, you call that making fun, honestly? The maliciousness of the incident was negligible.

Wade did mention rightly, that under the media’s scrutiny anything can get blown out of proportion – but it’s good to see Dirk has a calm head on his shoulders, although it’s not really something to get aggravated over.

WHAT THEY DID IS A SIGN OF SCARE ON THEIR PART. SCARED THEY KNOW THEY’LL GET BURN WITH DIRK AND THE MAVS’ SIZZLING SHOOTING SPREE. HOPEFULLY MAVS CLOSE THIS OUT IN GAME 6 SO WE CAN START BASHING THIS 2 ARROGANT NONSENSE PLAYERS.

After watching the footage, this did not seem to be as big a deal as some are making it out to be. Although I am a Mavericks fan in this series, I did not think that this was anything other than a little hamming it up by Wade and James. Also, while Dirk has shown himself to be an unstoppable, clutch performer it is apparent as well that Dewayne Wade is not a choker either. These two, Dirk and Wade, are playing unbelievably in this series and my respect for both has grown.

Wade and James are ignorant. When Dallas wins then they will be the ones crying, especially James because he came to Miami to win a championship but no, Dallas will win and they will regret what they did.

WTF is it with you and your “OMG, that was racist” card everytime someone says something you don’t like. Everyone in the world is so sensitive these days. Grow a backbone.
To all the Heat haters. There are two teams left in the Championship race. The Mavs and The Heat. Did your piddly team make it??? (question void if you’re a Mavs supporter) Did your team get done in the Playoffs 4-1 by the Heat??? or another team… Or did they just not make???
Bulls fans are especially pissed at the Heat for signing the stars they wanted, THEN beating them at there own game in a blowout series.
YES. I’m a Heat fan. Have been for years. I live on the opposite side of the world to the USA too. I hope Miami can take this in 7 (my prediction was 4-1, failed), but if the Mavs win, I’ll be happy for one reason ONLY. Jason Kidd. Been a fan for years, and if Miami can’t win it, I’ll be glad he finally has a ring.
Haters be quiet. There’s no need for your whining. Just makes NBA fans look like petty idiots. Watch the Finals with genuine interest and stop degrading a team because you don’t like it.

REALLY? who gives a darn!!!! What kind of world would it be if everyone kept professional?? There is always a need for comedy. Actually I respect DWADE and Lebron more after seeing the cough video. They are showing a sense of humor. U idiots who post these remarks abt not respecting and all this garbage, are just retarded. Get a life…There was no negative remarks. Just plain old comedy retards

This is what happens when you pay man-children millions of dollars to play a sport. LeBron is an arrogant douche bag with the intelligence of a 12 year old! You can put a ball through a ring! Well done, so can my 8 year old niece. Im not a Mavs fan but i love Dirk’s game. Go the Mavs!!!!!!!!!

I used to have alot of respect for LeBron until that circus sideshow when he announced he was going to Miami. Since then he has turned into a arrogant punk.Hope Dallas blows the Heat away in game 6. I guess Lebron and Wade were practicing their choke routine for when they lose.

lol So you think Wade and Lebron set up the celebration themselves? The NBA and organization had nothing to do with it? Also you don’t think if they got signed to CHicago or New York they would have celebrated too? I am born and bred in NYC and I know we would have made a big deal if we signed all three. Please stop the BS hate.

lol Lebron never mocked anyone before. Everyone has been doing that to him for years so shut up with that pity party for DIRK. DIrk is my dude too, but everyone needs to relax forreal. Let them talk if the MAVS win thats whats up cause DIRK and KIDD deserve that. I do not respect JET at all though. Role players can be replaced he needs to remember that.

Calling Jet a role player… well, I wouldn’t go that far. But you say LeBron never mocked anyone? And what was his dacing on the sidelines all about? Remember, Noah got a T for calling him out on that game and he was damn right: he was showboating! So he has already mocked lots of people, which only makes it even more deserving on him these critics

You guys arew dumb. Wade and james are arrogant. WHy? THey are making money they most of us will not see in our enitre life time not to mention they will destory any of us 1 on 1 so dont talk unless you;re in the NBA all of you guys are arrogant.

oh my god that is the realest and truest comment ive ever heard. Like these people have an opinion on how good Lebron James is or how arrogant they are. There the million dollar athletes so these haters need to respect greatness altogether. Dirk is great. Wade is Great. Lebron is great.

OK I ave kept quiet for most of this season letting all of you talk ish and cry about Miami. WHo cares if they clowned Dirk. Dirk is GREAT, but he;s not JESUS so relax. They have been mocking Lebron for years and no one has said anything. The media does blow everything up more than it is. Desean and Jet have been poppin ish all series, even when they were struggling and no one says anything. Again I say relax stop pole riding these guys that do not know you nor pay your bills. Also remember how much you Dallas fans talk crap about Lebron, but your owner tried to recruite him and if he was available now he would trade everyone except Dirk for Lebron.

Everyone just needs to get off their backs.. Who said that they were making fun of Dirk? They didn’t say his name at all! The media sometimes makes me soo heated. Just get off their backs and let game 6 speak for LEBRON.

I am from Cleveland and I almost rooted for the Heat until I saw this video. This is not going to do nothing but add fuel to the fire. The Mavs are going to come out like a vengeance. The series will be over tomorrow.

I think it was very immature and not smart for wade or lebron trying to mimic dirk’s illness. This “blow-up” gives the Mavericks more motivation to win in game 6 and close out games. And games in the past we’ve seen Dwayne Wade be a drama queen with his own personal injuries. And there were excuses made in the 2010 ECF for Lebron James coming up short in games 5 and 6 because of an elbow injury. So they’re the last two individuals who can joke about someone’s illness when they’ve overreacted with small injuries that would seem miniscule when compared to past greats like Isaiah Thomas, who scored 25 straight points with a bad knee in the NBA Finals against the Showtime Lakers or Michael Jordan’s famous Flu Game as he won his fifth NBA Championship. Even the great Kobe Bryant who has injured multiple fingers and has bad knees and ankles has been to four NBA Finals since 2004 and won two more championships since then. Kobe even moved in the number 2 spot in the playoffs for most 30 point games in the playoffs behind Michael Jordan during the 2010 WCF. His knee was filled with fluid and had to get it drained but he still was able to have great perfomances against the Phoenix Suns. In game 6 against the Suns he scored 38 pts and had some of the most amazing clutch shots late in the fourth quarter that would make any defender look helpless. Alvin Gentry said he was the best player in basketball then and it’s not even close. In the 2010 NBA Finals in game 5 Kobe Bryant scored 17 straight points against the Boston Celtics and many of the shots were well defended and some were from “way downtown”. It takes a killer instinct and mental toughness to play with his many injuries over the years but he has achieved it and stepped up to the challenge. The Miami Heat, especially Lebron James just don’t have that mental toughness willingness to win in any situation at this time. And it’s hard to fathom if Lebron ever will if he doesn’t deliver in game 6 or (if necessary) game 7.

haha zedfed you calling this nba finals rigged dwayne wade taunted rick carlisle in one of the games and didnt ge a technical dont be mad cause dirk is owning everyone in the 4th quarter i hope miami choke in game 6 hope lebron never gets a ring

How many of Dirk’s 4th Qtr points are free throws? Have you even looked at a stat sheet; would it surprise you to learn that Miami has outplayed Dallas in every aspect of every game except game 5. Miami would have already won this series, were it not for Dallas FREE THROWS. Every Dallas comeback has begun with a Dirk Nowitzki parade to the FT line. When you can prove otherwise and the NBA can honestly deny it without using stupid phrases like Lebron is not aggressive enough in the 4th Qtr. I’ll believe the game isn’t rigged! So please check your data before you try to mount an argument. Next you’ll be saying that Chandler’s block on Lebron, which was called a charge by Joe Crawford, was the right call. No, its called the referees taking over.

OK since obviously all of you are either Dallas fans, disloyal or dumb…you cant see what really happened. The media INDEED, blew this waaaay out of proportion as they do everything. Lebron and D Wade were not making fun of Dirk, but the media. Evryone comments on what isnt obvious…THIS is obvious. What ISNT obvious is how mature they are or why either isnt playing their best at any given moment. You cant tell how mature they are through clips of their lives through TV screens. Thats like having one camera only in a bathroom of someones home…are you going to consistently call them indecent???

i’m a fan of the mavericks, but everyone just talking all this trash with two games left in Miami isn’t the best thing to do.. Calling two of the best players in the league bad or saying that they’re performing badly because they choke is an insult to the Dallas Mavericks. They have played amazing defense against Lebron this whole series even in the wins. The Dallas Mavericks will not win the title because of Lebron and Wade choking, but because they are a better team that executes better on both ends of the floor. But who knows, what if Miami wins the next two? it ain’t over til its over.

you think they listen to this? this is just checks and balances where confident mavs fans drive down the morale of the miami fans that carry the same arrogance and childishness that their team has…
WATCH OUT GUYS THE NBA IS RACIST APPARENTLY

I am so happy that people just find time to write stuff that is crazy..D-wade, LeBron and all other players at the end of the day all respect one another. The media blows stuff up, but most of these guys are freinds. I read this article on yahoo and there were so many racist comments its funny. Well I got news for all the haters and racist, good and bad plubicity makes all theese guys richer. Now out of the three players who do you think make more money? The media is trying to make theirs on the side too. Its a game. No body hated Bin Laden this damn much. Enjoy the game people!!
America still have a long way to go and its so sad

UMM.. i bet anything if Dirk was black and they big 3 in miami was white, EVERYONE’S OPINION, yours, mine, the media, former players, current players, would be different. not saying that this is a race issue, cause i know how irritating it is for certain people to hear anything about race. however, it is undeniable that this whole thing, from the decision to now, would be viewed different. I mean Big Ben was accused of rape, twice, and still isnt nearly as hated as Lebron, from which last i heard, has a clean record. remember this, everyone, that the mainstream media shapes the minds and the opinions of the vast majority. If the media didnt villify LBJ, then most of you wouldnt.. if you are not from NorthEast Ohio, or you havent been a die hard Kobe fan since Eddie Jones was starting in front of him, or if your birthday is in the 90’s, you have NO REASON to hate that man. For doing something that anyone in his position and right mind would have done…

That statement is down right fallacious, nothing but excuses a la “zedfed”… I can tell you, and I’m Portuguese, that if there is some reason why I don’t really like LeBron is that his “Decision” was pretty much a narcisistic, self fulling stunt. Not to mention how Cleveland felt it. And to be honest, I do hope the Mavs win it all, they have a lot of veterans that really deserve this and they have played with such heart, never quitting when they’re behind with little time to go on the game…

Bottom line, race is not a problem, at least not for the international fans of the NBA

Oh now you have to go searching your history books? Yeah, we did that, so did the Spanish and others as well. It was a different era, a different way of seeing and thinking the world.

I just used my nationality to stress out that there is no way to me this is a racial problem. It is just a problem of three idiots who thought they were champs before the pre season. And I wanna see them lose and have to cope with it all summer long, that’s it

Good to read a post from a serious fan; imagine a whole Nation following the lead of a whore-mongering, gambler like Charles (No Ring) Barkley, and they wonder why their jobs are in Asia. I was very upset with that Laker’s EJ trade, EJ and Kobe could have been like MJ and Pippen, but Shaq with his usual antics blew up that partnership also. That ’97-98 Laker Team produced four All Stars but failed to win a championship, they tied for the 2nd best record in the league behind Chicago and Utah.

My biggest problem with the “Decision” is the impact it has on the rest of the league and on the mentality of the owners. While I respect players for what they do, in the end it is not the player’s team. The team belongs to the owners and the front office, and they are the ones that should be making the business decisions.

When players start having the power to make and break teams, it leaves the team ownership unsteady and potentially unprofitable. In the era of “Franchise Players” (Jordan, Magic, Bird, Ewing, Thomas), there wasn’t ever concern by the owners that their players were going to up and walk away. This led to stability in the league, and in the end, more exciting basketball and better rivalries. There wasn’t anything actively preventing those players from walking away, except dedication and a star mentality.

In those days if the Hornets, led by Chris Paul, were available, there would have been a buyer because he was going to stick around as long as the owners wanted him. Now, try to find someone willing to invest BILLIONS of dollars in the hope that CP3 decides to stick around. Good luck. Because if he decides to move away, you just lost BILLIONS of dollars for nothing.

I get that LeBron did what he thought was best for him. Whether he intended to or not, he changed the face of basketball and what it meant to be a “star”. But if every star starts doing that, we’re probably going to see a lot of the bottom and middle tier teams start to flounder.

The owners are obviously panicked at the prospect of franchise players wanting to “take their talents” elsewhere whenever things get rough (look to Denver and Utah, if you have your doubts). I don’t think there’s any reason to panic, but I understand it. In my opinion, if it weren’t for the “Decision” this CBA would probably already be worked out, and we wouldn’t be looking at a potential lockout next year.

And ultimately that’s why he is so hated, because someone may lose a paycheck. No one cares that professional Black athletes are dying in penury and anonymity after a stellar career in their chosen sport; Lebron is determined not to be one of those and he is taking some of his peers along for the ride. Did you hear Wade say that loyalty was important to him, he looked around Chicago and saw no MJ, no Pippen, no Rodman none of the Black athletes who built the Chicago team from a 10 million dollar franchise into a 300 million dollar franchise and had nothing to show but a pink slip. Lebron doesn’t want to be the G.O.A.T. he wants to be the Billion Dollar Man. More power to him, why shouldn’t he profit from the sweat off his own brow.

put simply, that was just two arrogant pricks being irritating.. plenty of ppl like that in the world.. and to top it all off lebron uses it to fuel his ego by pushing the blame on the media for ‘over-scrutinizing’ the miami heat.. basically he wants to imply that he’s the reason the heat are so scrutinized.. come on man.. anyone who’d acted that way would have come under fire from the press cos it’s just not professional and mature.. and d-wade, gosh how dumb should he get.. ppl are accusing them of mocking dirk and he says he never called dirk out.. please man, mocking someone means not explicitly referencing him

The whole “we did it because we knew you’d react to it” excuse is the stupidest thing one could do. Are they lying? I don’t know. It’s stupid either way, and was completely unnecessary. If anything, this excuse just made them look stupider.

I’m usually trying to be rational with my comments, but they’re ridiculous. Those two have been desperate for a championship and have been trying to get one be combining their stat sheets, then they make a huge hype of what’s to come of them, then they backpedal make excuses about how it was never going to be easy, then they go cry in a locker room;and right when I was respecting their play they think instigating their subjection to scrutiny is so brilliant by taking a hit on someone who hasn’t done **** to them – other than play better in this series. With all that there’s LeBron saying **** every other month or so that should’ve never come out of his mouth, followed by an unbearably lame excuse.

You would think Lebron would shut his mouth until he has actually won something.Maybe Dirk should dress up as a 4th quarter and choke in front of Lebron.so called King of basketball? neither Kobe or Michael would have been held to 2 points in 24 minutes of 4th quarters in a finals series.he needs to shut his mouth and play ball.(or just keep giving the ball to Wade and get is rings that way).

yo the miami heat stars don’t look like champions they remind me of high school students. Nowitzki looks like an adult and keeps his cool. The Mavs will win the championship because Lebron and Dwayne got growing up to do.

man! this two choke artist dont know how to play good basketball and surely doesnt know how to make excuses.
the can joke about dirk all season long but in the end. dirk is gonna have his ring and lebrick is gonna do what he does best and that is choking.

Hey Sekou where is the video of Shawn Marion mocking Dirk about his injured finger, can we see that one, I searched through all the post and pre-game interviews and cannot find it. Wasn’t it Marion who said “can someone kiss it and make it better?” This is coming from his own teammate, where was the media on that one. Can’t show that one can you; probably wont look so good for Dirk, would it now? I know he said it because I caught it live.

This is what I think. I’ve been a basketball fan for years. Neither of these teams are my team but here are my thoughts after deep consideration and watching the series unfold.

This is a series for all-time. David vs Goliath. For real. It’s absolutely incredible to see the Mavericks actually pulling this off. If you were cynical in life and long to see the improbable, this series delivers. It might actually go down as a better series than any of the 3 Celtics-Lakers Finals of the 80’s. And I know, that is a VERY big statement. I really think you are witnessing a historical Finals that will be remembered 30 years from now while many other championships are forgotten. Lebron, Wade and Bosh very likely go on to win some titles later, but when the Mavericks win, THIS is the Finals that everyone will point to and say, “That was the best NBA Finals I ever saw”.

Why are the Mavs the underdogs? Everyone’s money was on the Lakers, until the Mavs killed them. The Mavs are the better jumpshooting team, and when they out-rebound the Heat, they have an advantage. Does everyone feel like this would be a huge upset?

Wade good job practicing 3 pointers How about LeBron hmmnn have to be agree with De Shawn Stevenson way overrated.Bad news Mr.Wade Dallas is too deep you need lot more help than Bron or Bosh especially Bron needs much more practices with his shoots maybe he should play more inside.Good job Dallas go for win like to see Novitzki ,Terry with champagne in their hands celebrating in Miami locker room go Mav’s.

I am a die hard Heat fan, been one since the Alonzo-Hardaway time, but I have to admit that this was a low-blow by James and Wade. I would expect this from LeBron, but not from Wade. Yea, he has one of his best friends here, but that dont mean u gotta go act a fool. This is the NBA Finals, u guys came together to win it all, and y’all bring this??? Come on mannnnn. Smh.

They’re ignorant and arrogant and now they seem to be cowards too. Just admit you made fun of Dirk, everybody knows it anyway. But I guess there’s not much to expect from a guy like LeBron who can’t even string a few sentences together in a huddle or interview. I always thought Wade was a bit cocky but still a nice enough guy.

After all Dirk’s the one who will be laughing at the end of this series.

hey good to see that there are loads of guys who support dallas and dirk! i am getting up every time at three am to see the games (i am german) and hopefully all these hall of famers get their ring tomorrow.
beat the heat!

Holy crap. Zedfed is a complete moron. Stop readin racism into everything. WTF, are you an idiot. Lets facer ity Wade and James aren’t exactly Rhodes Scholars. They were trying to be clever and it fell flat on its face. When will you liberals grow up?

The Jet flies, Dirk gives the three signal, Stevenson (an alleged rapist) gives the three signal and Miami gets flak for celebrating their achievments. Dirk tears Chandler a new one on the court in front of cameras and he’s a great leader, if any of the Miami three had done that imagine the headlines. Bron was sick during the ECF , Wade was injured in the first Qtr of the 1st game of the ECF, no one made their performances out to be Herculean. That is the point the guys were making; women in menopause experience higher body temperatures than Dirk’s everyday and go about their lives without complaint. 2 tylenol and you’re good to go. The joke is on the Media if you’re smart enough to get it; if not you’re the ignoramous who is being played.

Wade was yelling at chalmers in either game 3 or 4 I don’t remember which and the media never gave them flak. Dirk’s efforts are being viewed as herculean because everyone HATES the heat. Not because the heat are black, but because it would be way too easy for the heat to win. Dwayne Wade has put up championship numbers. Even jeff van gundy said so and he’s white lol. The NBA is 70-some percent black. Black people are both hated on and loved accordingly. The fact of the matter is Lebron is hated and so is DWade and Bosh and the rest of the trash heat.

How about this – the boston celtics were written off last year and weren’t expected to go past the first round. Clearly people thought this because they are black. Clearly the NBA is so racist a disproportionate amount of white people win championships. Clearly when we hate someone who HAPPENS TO BE BLACK we are all racists

the joke is on you bro lol. youre gonna talk about how wade tricked the media into blowing something up like thats what he wanted. if he is spending time figureing out how to trick the media and pulling jokes when youre down 3-2 how are you gonna feel when you lose?

HEY DWAYNE I GET UR JOKE!! GOOD JOKE BRO DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE JOKES YOU CAN SHARE DURING THE NBA FINALS? I LOVE IT WHEN THE HEAT MAKE JOKES INSTEAD OF WINNING

bosh will ask out in 2 years, lebron will leave in 3 and wade’s body will be broken in 5. youll be rooting for the dolphins again have fun

You know, I thought that the differences between the Finals and every other playoff series were self-evident, but I guess I was wrong.

But the senseless comparisons don’t end there. Women with menopause? Really? That’s the best you can come up with? When a woman with menopause scores in double digits in the fourth quarter of a Finals game to lead her team to victory, let me know. Then I’ll start taking you seriously.

While LeBron, Wade, and all of their loyal subjects are complaining about the media, every other NBA fan is busy enjoying the Finals and cheering on the Mavs. Let the better team win!

There was a heated exchange between Chalmers and Wade, just like those that occur between Wade and Bosh and Wade and James. Dirk Nowitzki yelled into Chandler’s face and Chandler just moved on in silence.

I am a female who has gone thru menopause and believe me there were many days I stayed in bed with fever, sweats and awful other problems. And I ALWAYS complained because it really takes over a women’s life. Some women don’t have it so bad, some do. Please don’t reference something you know nothing about. BTW, when is WADE NOT INJURED???????????????

Have you guys seen Spoelstra in the locker room at halftime? How funny! The speech he has to motivate his team is pathetic.He sounds like a primary school teacher motivating kids for a nice drawing to do! Ah, Ah!

yeah lol everything spoelstra says just seems flakey and lacking thought… like he just knows the rheteric and is just filling in time. hes getting outcoached bad and i dont even like jim carrey that much

There is such a thing called “respect for individuals” – Wade and James simply dont have it. Regardless of the reason why they did it, it shows poor spotsmanship, was very immature, akin to the thinking of a child. Approaching game 5, a criticle game for both teams, championship at steak, and their focus was on toying with the media cuz “we knew you guys were going to blow it up”. I guess they didn’t expect to lose… Well, they should take a leaf out of Dirk’s book. Think before you speak! Then do so sensibly…a dash of humility can’t hurt either. When Dirk opens his mouth, it’s straight plain sensible talking, you hear and feel the humbleness, win or lose.

The greatest ignorance of Miami’s Big 3 is the need to overfeed their egos and not their need to close out games. Years from now when the media document the self proclaimed “King” they will surley spotlight his iconic need to justify his status (ie The Decision…are you kiding me?). When they spotlight Dirk, JT and Kidd they will highlight a team with dedication and heart.

I used to like Wade and thought highly of him. But ever since these three teamed up, everything changed and their true personalities started coming up. They are a perfect example of mob mentality. They find strength in numbers and now think that they can bully everyone. They found a match in Dallas who is putting them in their proper place. Wade denies celebrating or showboating after his 3 pointer in game 2 and now denies mocking Dirk. What a cowrard! Own up, better yet…grow up.

lebron and wade are making fun of dirk when he did something that they’ll never be able to do. If you want to make fun of somebody make fun of terry or Stevenson who were the ones that talked trash instead you make fun of dirk nowitizki who’s killed you this whole series and has never celebrated as much d-wade and lebron.

I know they were just messing around, but seriously they are really stupid sometimes. Dirk is owning them, I bet they feel hecka stupid right now. Wade sucks at making up crap to justify himself, I am losing lots of respect for him. I mean, I expected this stuff from LeBron, but Wade is even worse.

The Mavs should all limp into the next game, holding their hips like they’re injured. How about that, Wade.

They didn’t make fun of Dirk, they made fun of the media for overexaggerating every little thing. They were like “Dude, let’s cough a bit, I’m sure the media is gonna make a big deal and question our health Lol”

Actually, Wade said “can you hear me coughing?” insinuating that Dirk was exaggerating his illness to get attention. They were clearly mocking him, not the media. Maybe a little bit of both, but they did it knowing the media would blow it up. Yes, they were just messing around, but their justification is really pathetic. I seriously don’t believe they did this as a way to test the media and deliberately put themselves in a situation to receive negative attention. I’m sure stuff like this goes on all the time. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but it’s pretty tasteless. It’s not even funny. He was sick. And his team beat them. I fail to see how that’s comical. I would personally not be cracking a smile after losing a game in the NBA Finals and be looking at ways to win the next game. The comments just make them seem bitter.

i think someone on the mavs should walk around with a limp and grimace on their face like wade always seems to do and then magically be able to burst to the basket. his left hip is sore? thats really a reason to go to the locker room twice just so you can make a grand entrance. lots of nba players, wade and lebron, in particular need to realize that people arent just “hating” on them. we are pointing out irritating flaws in your personalitys…

They can try to make it sound like they were not making fun of Dirk, but go back and watch the post-game interviews with D. Wade. He insinuates that he thinks Dirk is just faking being sick. They just don’t want to admit that they can’t even play up to Dirk’s level when he has a fever!

i saw that post-game interview and heard D Wade’s insinuation of Dirk faking illness. The first thing that crossed my mind was “well he should know best about faking”! Since he’s done it himself so many times in the past, why not think that anyone else must be like him. He’s cried wolf too many times to believe him anymore.

Let’s clear the air once and for all.. There should be no doubt in anyones mind that they were directing it towards dirk. The both of them should have practiced better judgement now all they did was placed added pressure on themselves if they lose tonight. As for Lebron, no offense you will never be in the same conversation as MJ. yOU HAVE SCORED A TOTAL OF 12 POINTS IN THE 4TH QUARTER OVER THE SPAN OF 5 GAMES… Are you serious and people consider you to be the greatest player of all time ( Pippen ) … When you get 6 titles, 6 finals mvp’s, 9 straight all defensive team, oh and when you become a leader then maybe you might have a chance of being mentioned in the same conversation as mj! It appeared you gave up in game 4 as you did last year to the celtics. You didn’t show up in game 5 . Yeah you got a triple double but 17 point’s you got outscored by Jason Terry. I remember a regular season game the bulls had in utah years ago.. The bulls lost and mj went on a tear… A regular season game not the finals. That’s someone who want’s it and never wanted to lose… No one should ever place you in the same breath as mike

Wade proved a point…media is completely disproportionate when it comes to the Heat. IMO Everything, including the so called celebration that was obviously normal in players makes headlines. Even if he hadn’t joked, someone would’ve made the headline ‘D Wade caught Nowitzky’s flu’. LOL Regarding childish, has Nowitzky look at his teammate flying around the court? BTW ….when O’Neal came to Miami we had a block party, bigger than the Big 3’s party, and O’neal promised a ring, too, and they won the championship… Go Heat!!! WHITE HOT!

stop trying to convince yourself bro nobody is listening to that. wade and lebron are divas and they need to hit rock bottom before that diva in them leaves. the media is “disproportionate” because of that… they arent ready to win just look at the difference in demeanor between the teams, thats why the heat are getting all the flak.

They would not have said that D wad caught the flu if he didnt make fun of it. it was just a cough. but WADE not the media turned it into something it wasnt. If WADE had not made a joke out it then nothing would have happened. But since he did the media responded. not because the media is all over miami. And dont put in facts that have nothing to do with the topic. your really bringing back O neal into the conversation?

Shaq came to Miami after winning three championships. How many rings did LeBron have when he was predicting, “not four, not five, not six, not seven” championships?

The media derides LeBron and Wade because they are horribly arrogant and blatantly childish. On top of that, they consistently break the golden rule of being in the public eye — admit when you are wrong. Both LeBron and Wade (and all of their grovelling fans) always blame the media, even going so far as to completely deny what is caught on camera.

They’re children, and their fans are children. You know why most people are cheering for the Mavericks? Because most people are sensible enough to see LeBron and Wade for what they are: a couple of babies.

Mavs would have won already, since dirk missed that shot, it wasn’t good defense from Haslem, Dirk just put a little too much power on his shot, for him it really isn’t about defense, since he always gets a good look

D-Wade is clearly turning into D-Wad. It was stupid enough to disrespect a tough opponent ON CAMERA who just beat you while he was clearly sick. What makes him Dip Wad is thinking that everyone else is stupid enough to believe that idiotic story he spun about it at the news conference. “Lot’s of people besides Dirk get sick…..”. Yes, they do. And lot’s of people say and do foolish things and realize the best way to fix the problem is to own up to what they do. Clearly, the maturity chip in his I-phone is busted.

Professional? Why don’t you find out what the ‘okay’ hand gesture means in Germany. Yes, the one he pointed towards the Miami fans at the end of game 2. Also, hasn’t Dirk been in trouble for other hand gestures before? I believe that they shouldn’t of fined him, because perhaps he didn’t mean them in a bad way, the same way that Wade and Lebron were just playing with the Media, NOT Dirk. IMO

That was NOT an “okay” hand gesture. He jsut made a 3-point shot. He was indicating “3”, but I guess that is too hard for Miami fans to comprehend, so they try pretending that it was some sort of racial gesture. You people are truly pathetic – just like your “team”!

yeah lol “okay” hand gesture now youre just looking silly. were in america. and in america, on a basketball court, the “okay gesture” means 3 points… ALWAYS. just ask chalmers, jones, or anyone else on your team that does the “okay gesture”…

OMG GUYS ITS THE OKAY HAND GESTURE DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS???? yeah it means dirk just dropped another 3 in lebron/bosh/haslems face

that has absolutely nothing to do with what james and wade did. And that means 3 points on a basketball court. I really dont care what it means in germany. I personally dont think they were playing with the media just being stupid and full of themselves.
making fun of someone being sick is not professional. get your facts straight before coming out and showing your stupidity online.

It boggles my mind that people are actually this stupid. If Dirk was making an offensive hand gesture to the Miami fans, then he’s been doing it to the fans in Dallas, and every other NBA city, for years now.

Thank you dude. I would love if the Mavs win the title but because I ‘hate’ the Heat. As for this incident, people are acting upon this ‘hate’ and taking this way too seriously. I understand if Dirk takes it seriously but not others. Especially fans who aren’t impacted by this at all. Just watch the game and please (not forcing you to) quit hating the Heat or any sports team. It is a bad for your health.

I agree LD! The Heat celebrate for no reason in the middle of the game when they are winning and at the end they find themselves losing. What idiots. Making fun of Dirk won’t help Queen Lebron you have to earn it by taking over the fourth quarter and not score 0-2 points like you. Seriously, man up. I never knew Dwayne Wade was like this. Man that’s like 3 Biches on one team.(i spelled the b word wrong on purpose). Man Lebron get ready for all the conffette the Mavs will be celebrating in tomorrow. Oh, and LD to answer your question Lebron And Dwayne will be crying their butts of tomorrow and Lebron will be banging his head aganist the wall that why did he sign with Miami and Dwayne Wade will be crying because he would be thinking why did he resign with the heat and Chris Bosh, he is okay but still a piece of s***.

I think Wade´s justification is the worse of all. I really liked the player, not anymore. I mean, these guys were crying all season about the image of themselves they created without intention, justifying it in every interview. Who´s laughable here? The sick guy that kills you in every fourth quarter? Or the guy who only puts 8 points in a Finals game against a sick guy? And making fun of someone being sick??? I don´t get it! I really don´t. All I remember is that no one made fun of some Heat player crying in the locker room and their coach telling about it to the reporters. THAT was laughable. May be Bosh shooting 3 points at the end of games during the season was laughable too. When you have players like Wade, Chalmers, Jones in your team… Or maybe James saying they would won more than 8 titles in a row…How pretentious was that! Try to win one, then talk. James already was in a team with four other all-stars, never won the title. And when he got his MVP titles, Bryant brought his team to the title, so who was more of a valuable player during these two years? Of course, the Cavs could end up with so many season wins, the Eastern Conference was so weak! Look who moved from West to East this year: Anthony, Stoudemire, D.Williams, Boozer, Billups, B.Davis,

Why am I not surprised that Nowitzki used a racially inflammatory word to describe the behavior of Wade and James? Wasn’t it the Mavs owner who referred to the players on the Denver Nuggets as Street THUGS? I hope Charles Barkley is happy, America’s #1 High Yellow House Negro.

What ‘racially inflammatory’ word did he use? Childish? Surely thats ageist… if anything? Or ‘ignorant’? Still, nothing any person of any race would take to heart… on a racial point of view…
Maybe dont take something that DIDNT happen to you (unless you have a chest infection or something and its a touchy subject right now) so personally and hey, just enjoy the game…

You got it right – no matter how the ref tried to rig the game for the Heat, they still cannot stop the MAVS. Come game 6, I hope the Heat gets jobbed by the ref so they’ll know how it feels back in 2006.

I was really shocked by the actions of Wade and James. And the least they can do is admit their mistakes. People are not dumb. You just dug yourself into a deeper hole.

alright man listen, im a black man, i know you think im a racist white man. which kind of makes you even more accusing, and racist… thats beside the point. a boxer in 1910 who struggled with racism and society.. had struggles we cant even imagine, so much has happened for african americans and other minorities since then, the united states has progressed as a society. our president is black. the world is not perfect by any means and never will be but not anything like it was back then.

Just in case anyone needs to understand the meaning of the word ‘ignorant’ Merriam Webster defines it as a lack of knowledge, intelligence and education. “As an ignorant old racist” which is what ADD-Irk revealed himself to be.

he’s just a professional victim… instead of being his own man and living his life doing what he loves… he’s got mental issues and “chokes” (sorta like lebron) when it comes to pursuing his desires… so he starts looking for people to blame other than himself, never realizing he will never be happy going in that direction

Uhhh ZedFed?? You defined the word for us, but still didn’t explain how the context relates to black men. Unless you yourself are describing black men as having a “lack of knowledge, intelligence, and education”. You must be a self-hater.

Well, a lockout is when the owners and the people who run the NBA (David Stern) put a limit on what the players can do. Sometimes they will not allow a whole season to happen, or maybe like 20 games less and no allstar game.

The CBA is the collective bargain agreement, which is how money is distributed around. they are having debates about it between the NBA office and Players, and if a descision isnt reached, then a lockout will happen.

Can’t wait for Game 6. That Miami crowd will be both pump and nervous as a wreck. I guess we’ll see who will be coughing or choking then. All I know is this is the most important game in the franchise’s history, even more important then when they won the title in 06.

Well I wouldn’t necessarily say “famed”. He’s more known as having to play For Troy in the last game of the 1990 seaon that cost them a playoff berth. I remember CBS doing picture in picture of New Orleans players on Bourbon Street celebrating while watching sinc they were awarded the last playoff spot.

Other than that he’s really only known for nicknaming Daryl Johnston “Moose”. That and being named something like the 3rd worst football player of all time by some writer at SI.

Obviously they were just trying to put up some mind tricks to maybe confuse Dirk or any other Mavs members to bring them out of rythm or something.And the media completely swallowed the bait.Not that dumb everyones guessing now, though it is a poor sign how helpless they already feel.
I think the Mavs will burn them in game 6!

Really, guys! Could you use your brain, JUST ONCE!!!
I really like Dwayne and Lebron, but sometimes you almost have to question their intelligence. As if they werent criticized enough, now they have to make fun of Dirk. No, they didnt mention him, but everybody gets it. And honestly, if you know that the Media WILL blow it up, shouldnt you keep your mouth shut? Do they understand how it looks? Do they even care? Its as if they wanted to put extra pressure on themselves, because after this thing almost everybody outside of Miami will cheer for the Mavs. As if the Heat werent hated enough right now….

thats exactly the thing. in a small part in the head (of lebron and dwane), you cannot blow away, that everybody hates u in the US (except miami) about that. so there is a plus on pressure too. bad for their game.

thats not true, the reason they advertise well is because their loved for their games, just because you see these haters posting dosent mean theres not people who like them. Thats just an ignorant comment. Ps im Australian

They did it for very simple reason….both Wade and James ARE ARROGANT. Who they kidding about? They did not mention Dirk, who else there are referring to? They think the public are dumb…they are making excuses!

They think that the public will buy the “we planned this” story, when in actual fact they couldnt possibly be that clever. Otherwise they would have known not to do it in the first place. And then denying it by stating they never said Dirk’s name is laughable. The whole world knew who they were referring to, and now the whole world is just a little more ‘over’ the Wade and LeChoke show.

Really… I love when superstars in sports do this. Its good for both sides. The media make money off of this and Wade, James get a good laugh. I hardly think this will phase Dirk at all. But I have a question for you Miami Heat haters? I don’t hate the Heat but I don’t mind if they win a title. So why do you guys really hate the Heat? Is it because they are so close to accomplishing to what you guys wish wouldn’t happen? Is it because Lebron left your city (Cleveland)? Please tell me because I feel ‘hate’ is a very strong word to use.

Why do people hate the Heat? People always act like the Heat are hated because they are so talented. When the truth is these guys have been Jerks and it has been over looked because of their talent. I mean Lebron is the same guy who had a kid dunk on him and them tricked him out of the video of it. 2 years ago he walked out after the magic beat his team in the Eastern conference finals and Then the way he handled the decision. All jerk moves. D Wade made comments about Rose not deserving MVP. Or the way he pulled down Rondo in the Celtics seires. That was unecessary, and Rondo was injured because Wade was mad he got beet on that play. Jerk moves. So this coughing thing is just another incident in a long line of jerk moves for these guys, and that is why people hate them.

I really like your comment. Especially about ” If you know that the media will blow it up, shouldn’t you keep you mouth shut?”
The Miami Heat fights for Respect but doesn’t give any out themselves. You can’t earn respect that way. It was foolish, and brains were not used.
I agree with the Sekou who wrote this article… the media will own up to it if those boys own up to their part to it. I really hope Dirk and Mavs can let it go.
Lets play some real ball and start acting like champions and stars…. and you can be those without winning the game.
Miguel, I read all the comments on here…I liked yours best…
Peace everyone…

These guys are running around playing the game they love and doing what they want. It isn’t about respect for Dirk, or for anyone else, its about how nobody realizes it, but they don’t care about the media. They will say anything because they think the media is stupid, and I agree. The NBA has the most pointless, non-NBA related stories of any major sports league, and I think its just ridiculous. Let the guys have a life.

Are you saying it’s alright to disrespect players and people in general as long as you’re having fun? If I know you personally, I would make fun of your sorry life. And you should not react or feel bad, because I’m having fun. Is that what your’e saying?

They are professionals, DJ, public figures that kids look up to. People are watching their every move, every step, and every words that come out of their mouths will have effects on everyone who’s watching them. That’s why they are paid millions, not just to entertain, but also to be good role models that we can look up to. So they SHOULD care about the media, because that’s what their lives are. They will be on the spotlight, on camera, on the mic. They have great responsibilities to all that’s watching and following the NBA. That’s the reason why so many people reacted badly on that idiotic mockery of Dirk. That’s why they will always be considered villains, because they put themselves in that situation.

Seems to me that they both would have more important things to do than be clowning. If you watch the Heat shoot-arounds, they are always clowning as well, and Lebron’s jumper could use some practice. I would think that this would be the one month of the year you would be focused on your job. I hope they clown their way into a Mavs championship!

@Miguel
I dont know if you are a heat fan But I admire your comments. What you said is a perfect example of what should be said in a comment. It is truely admirable that finally a Miami fan has some brains to see things correctly. What you said is so true and thank you for this comment.

Over confidence… arrogance … instead of focusing their energy on the court they were being childish mocking the player that helped stop Miami in winning a championship this year. Miami might win not 1… not 2…. not 3… not 4.. not 5 .. not 6 … not 7 .. BUT they have NOT WON this ONE. This is the one championship that got away.